Attachment for rocking-chairs.



No. 702,632. Patented Jun e 17,- I902. I

CLIFFUBD.

ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKING CHAIRS. (Application-filed Dec. '16. 1901.

(No Moder.)

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

DENNIS F. CLIFFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKING-CHAIRS.

iSPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 702,632, dated June 1'7, 1902.

Application filed December 16, 1901. Serial No. 86,148. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DENNIs F. CLIFFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Attachments for Rocking- Ohairs, of which the following is a'specification.

This invention relates to improvements in attachments for rocking-chairs whereby a fan may be operated by the rocking of a chair; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and opera tion of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed. I

The objects of myinvention are to provide an attachment of the above-named character which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, strong, durable, and effective in operation and which by reason of its peculiar construction may be readily attached to or detached from the chair.

Another object is toprovide means for adjustably securing the. operating-levers to the rocker of the chair so that the fan may be rofated at a high or low rate of speed,

Other objects and advantages will be disclosed in the subjoined description andexplanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a View in side elevation of a rocking-chair with an attachment embodying my invention in place thereon. Fig. 2is an enlarged View, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and showing the clamp for securing the fanholder and its gear in position on the armrest of the chair. Fig. 3 is a face View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the fan holder and its gears detached. Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of one of the operating levers, showing it detached from the rocker and shortened for the convenience of illustration. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of a modified form of the gear for operating the fan-holder. Fig. 6 is a fragmental face view arm-rests is secured,'b v means of a thumbscrew 6, a clamp 17, which has an outwardly and upwardly extending shaft 0, on which is mounted a segment spur-gear B,which meshes with a cogged pinionC, journaled on the upright portion of the shaft 0, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

Secured at its lower end to the upper surface of the pinion O is a fan-holder or socketpiece D, which is preferably rectangular in cross-section and hollow to receive the stem or handle 6 of the fan E, which when in position will extend upwardly to near the face of the person sitting in the chair. Instead of making the holder D rectangular and hollow orin the form of a socketit may be otherwise made and of different shape and .the handlestem of the fan may be attached theretoin any suitable manner without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The lower portion of the segmental gear B is, provided at itsends with rings or hooks o,

with which engage the snap-hooks e or other suitable engaging means on the ends of the connections F, which unite the inner ends of the operating-levers G withthe segment-gear. The connecting-pieces F may be made of any suitable material and may be flexible or stiff, as is apparent. Each of the levers G has the lower surface of its'outerend slightly beveled, as at g, to prevent it engaging or'tearing the carpet, and is pivotally securedon a stubshaft h on a clamp H, which is fastened; by means of a thumb-screwhto the rock'er H, as is clearly shown. in Figs. 1 and 7 ,of the drawings. g g

Instead of employing the gears shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of thedrawings and above described I may mount on the horizontal portion of the shaft 0 a beveled gear L, which carries on its hub m a sprocket-wheel 01, over which is passed a chain M, the ends of which may be connected to the operating-levers. When the beveled gear L is employed, I use a beveled pinion N, mounted on the upright portion of the shaft 0 to mesh with the gear L, and mount on the upper surface of the pinion N the fan-holder D, of the desired construction.

Instead of using two operating-levers Gr, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, I may employ a lever G, which may be pivotally connected at its middle to the middle of the rocker H, so that when the chair is rocked the lever G will rest on the floor, and thus cause the fan to be rotated first in one direction and then the other by means of its connections with the lever.

By using the clamps H for securing the levers G to the rocker it is apparent that they may be adjusted thereon so that .their fulcrums will be located at the proper points on the rocker to give the desired speed to the fan in its rotation, for it is evident that if the fulcrums of the levers are located nearer the ends of the rocker greater speed will be attained than if they were located near the central portion of the rocker.

When using the beveled gear and sprocketwheel shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and above described, it is evident that the sprocketchain M may be connected to the operatinglevers at its ends or to suitable pieces connected to the ends of the said levers.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as'new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an attachment for rocking-chairs, the combination with a clamp secured to the armrest of the chair and having an outwardly and upwardly extending shaft, of a segmental gear mounted on the horizontal portion of said shaft, a pinion journaled on the upright portion of said shaft and meshing with the segmental gear, a fan-holder mounted on the upper surface of the pinion, two levers pivotally and adj ustably secured on one of the rockers and connecting-pieces uniting said levers and the ends of the segmental gear, substantially as described.

2. In an attachment for rocking-chairs, the combination with a clamp secured to the armrest of the chair and having an outwardly and upwardly extending shaft, of a segmental gear mounted on the horizontal portion of said shaft, a pinion journaled on the upright portion of said shaft and meshing with the segmental gear, a fan-holder mounted on the upper surface of the pinion, means pivotally secured on one of the rockers to contact with the floor and connecting-pieces uniting said means and the ends of the segmental gear, substantially as described.

DENNIS F. CLIFFORD. 

